Finding Normal - Story 3 following Thicker Than Water and Recovery
by Mogo Girl
Summary: After recovering from her near fatal crash while performing a stunt, Cait is ready to get back in the air...or is she? Third in a series following my stories Thicker than Water and Recovery. You don't have to read those first but it would certainly be a good idea :)
1. Chapter 1

**Finding Normal: Story number 3 following Thicker Than Water and Recovery**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_A/N #2: So I've decided to keep on with the thread of stories that I started with Thicker than Water. I'll continue on developing Cait and Hawke's relationship and the lives of our three heroes. However, in case you haven't noticed in my earlier stories, I'm not a fan of bringing kids or even necessarily marriage for Cait and Hawke into my plot lines. In my vision of the Airwolf world, I just don't think the two of them really have room for kids in their lives (I know, look at Le in the series, but I was never a fan of that and always felt it was just another ploy by the producers to bring in a younger and more family friendly audience) and I can't see Hawke being one to jump into matrimony at the drop of a hat. So…I'm just letting you know if those are the particular happy endings you're hoping for, you probably won't find them here. Anyways, I think we have enough writers who do a great job of covering those things already. Having said that…I am a hopeless romantic so there will be plenty of interaction between Hawke and Cait and I'm still a fan of happy endings __Now on with the story _

_A/N #3: This story takes place about six weeks after Recovery ends. _

**Chapter 1**

"Didn't Cait come in with you this morning?" Dominic asked as he looked around Stringfellow Hawke who was walking into the Santini Air hangar office.

"Gee, good morning to you too, Dom," Hawke replied with a sarcastic tone. "And, no, she drove herself to the doctor's office. She has her final checkup and physical therapy session today," Hawke said as he reached for the coffee pot.

It had been almost three months since Caitlin O'Shannessy's near-fatal helicopter crash while performing a movie stunt for Santini Air. While Cait had made it clear that she didn't blame either Dom or Hawke for the crash, both of them had had a hard time dealing with the fact that they had almost lost Caitlin because they were fighting instead of putting all of their attention into the stunt preparation. A minor mis-adjustment of the radio frequencies had caused Cait to lose communication with the men who were providing support from the ground and she crashed into a tree line when she had been unable to hear Hawke's warnings to pull up.

In the crash, Cait had suffered a severe concussion, a broken right ankle and right arm, several serious internal injuries and some pretty severe lacerations all over her body. For the past three months, she had spent most of her time working with physical therapists and doctors provided by The Firm trying to get back to full strength.

But for all of the pain and heartache that had come out of that crash, at least one good thing had happened. After spending a lot of time with Caitlin helping her with her recovery, Hawke had finally realized how much he cared for the red-headed pilot that had dropped into his life over two years earlier. Through a few missteps and with a little push here and there from Dominic Santini, Caitlin and Hawke had morphed into a couple and were enjoying the joys of a developing, new stage in their relationship. Between Hawke's fears of his curse that anyone he got too close to would die and Caitlin's insecurities that she could never compare to the exotic, extraordinarily beautiful women that Hawke had been known to date in the past, the road to love hadn't been an easy one but everyday they seemed to be working it out and Dom could tell, they were both happier for it.

It had been a long three months but finally, things at Santini Air seemed to be getting back to normal for all of them. Or, at least as normal as things could get when you were the caretakers of the world's most technologically advanced, armored helicopter and you worked for a covert government agency performing top-secret missions.

"Sorry about that String," Dom said with a smile. "It's not that I'm not glad to see you this morning it's just that I'm ready to get that girl back to work. I've got calls coming in from all over for stunts and charters and whatnot. Being short a pilot sure has made it tough."

"Well I never thought I'd hear you complaining about too much work, Dom!" Hawke said with a grin as he took a sip of the dark sludge that Dom claimed was coffee.

"Oh, I'm not complaining, kid! I'm just anxious to get us all back in the air and some money flowing in. More work means more bills for maintenance and everything else, you know."

"Well, Cait's hoping the doc will give her her flying papers back today. Believe me, she's just as ready to get back to flying as you are. It's all I've heard for the last month!"

During her recuperation, Caitlin had been banned from piloting any aircraft until she got a clean bill of health from the doctors. While she had been allowed to take short trips with String or Dom as a passenger, she was itching to get back in the pilot's seat again.

"So, why aren't you at the doctor's with her?" Dom asked suddenly realizing that it was unusual for Hawke to allow Caitlin out of his sight for longer than a few minutes since the accident. During her recovery, the couple had split their time between Cait's apartment and Hawke's mountain cabin but wherever one was, the other was always close by. Dom had even started joking about them being attached at the hip.

Hawke shrugged as he stirred a little sugar into his coffee trying to lessen the bite of the ridiculously strong brew that Dom had seemed intent on making lately. "You know, Dom, you could save some money and just use this coffee as motor oil."

"Very funny, kid. That's how they make it in Italy, it's good for you…it'll grow hair on your chest. Now why aren't you with Caitlin?" the older man asked sensing a little hesitancy on Hawke's part.

"She said that I didn't need to come," Hawke explained with another shrug. "Something about it was going to be a long appointment and I'd just be bored sitting around waiting on her. I don't know, Dom, she's been different the last few days, like she doesn't want me around so much."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true String. She's probably just anxious about getting her release papers from the doctors. I know she's tired of being chained to the desk in here and not being able to fly. She's probably just pre-occupied with getting all of this behind her, you know?"

"You think?" Hawke asked as he finally gave up on the coffee and set his mug down on the desk.

"I'm sure of it! Trust me, you two have worked too hard to get where you are. She's not going to push you away now. Just give her a little space. I bet by the time she gets back here today she'll be right back at your side with a big smile on her face!" Dom got up from behind the desk and gave String an encouraging pat on the back. "Now, what do you say that you and I get some work done around here? We've got a big charter coming in, in the morning and I've got maintenance to do on all the choppers."

"All right," String agreed as he followed Dom out into the hangar hoping the work would get his mind off Caitlin.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Caitlin had finished her physical therapy and was glad that she had been cleared for flying once again. For the past month she had been excited about getting back in the pilot's chair and being able to do what she loved more than anything, fly. It was what she had hoped for for months and yet, there seemed to be a lump in the pit of her stomach.

While she truly wanted to fly again, ever since her last appointment a week earlier when the doctors had told her she would probably be released from therapy, a feeling of dread had begun to overcome her every time she thought of getting back into a helicopter. Actually, it was more a feeling of fear. _"I don't understand it,"_ she often thought to herself over the last week, "_flying is what I love, it's who I am…I've never been scared of it before."_

The fear had gotten so bad, she had convinced Hawke to stay at her apartment for the last week just so she wouldn't have to get into the helicopter to fly up to the cabin. While she had had no problems flying as a passenger up until the last week, the thought of even climbing into the cockpit now seemed to terrify her. Of course, she hadn't given Hawke that reason, she had just said she felt like spending some time at her own place and thankfully, he hadn't questioned her on it.

"Ms. OShannessy?" the doctor interrupted her thoughts as she sat across from his desk.

"Huh?" she said as he looked up, not realizing she had been so lost in her own world.

"I said I've signed the papers allowing you to fly again and giving you a clean bill of health. You can pick them up from the nurse on your way out. I have to say, I never expected to see you back in this good of shape so quickly but you really worked hard at your therapy. I wish all of my patients were so diligent," he said with a smile.

"Oh, well, thank you, doctor," she said with a weak smile as she reached over to shake his hand. Getting up, Caitlin picked up her purse and started for the door. Turning back she asked the doctor one last question. "So you're sure there's no restrictions on my flying? No altitude or speed restrictions or maybe things I shouldn't be doing like stunts?"

"No, Ms. O'Shannessy, you're free to go back to whatever you were doing before the accident. Just be careful out there. I don't want to see you back here again, understand?"

"Yes, sure, that's great," Caitlin said, her stomach turning to acid with the thought of getting back into the air. Putting on her best fake smile, she picked up her releases from the nurse and left the building. By the time she got to her car, she was shaking so bad she dropped her keys and could barely get them to work in the door lock once she retrieved them.

Sitting behind the wheel, she looked at her release papers once again. Sighing, she folded them up and stuffed them into her purse. _"Maybe I just need a few more days,"_ she said to herself. "_I'm sure Hawke and Dom can handle things until then. I'll just tell them the doctor wants to see me once more and I'm sure they'll understand. And by then, I'll be ready to fly…I'm sure of it,"_ she tried to convince herself.

_TBC…._


	2. Chapter 2

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 2**_

Dom and Hawke had been working steadily for two hours when they both looked up from the chopper they were performing maintenance on as they heard a car driving up to the hangar. Dom rolled his eyes when he saw the white limosine belonging to Michael Coldsmith Briggs the Third or Archangel as he was known at The Firm.

"Gentlemen," the spy said in greeting as he exited the limo and walked into the hangar.

"Uh uh - No way, Archangel," Dom said before Michael could get another word out. "We don't have time for one of your missions right now. I've got work piled up to my ears and Caitlin's not even back on flying duty yet."

"Well it's a good thing I don't have a mission for you then," Michael said as he sidestepped a puddle of grease on the floor. Wearing all white could be a precarious proposition for some but somehow "the Spotless Wonder" as Dom often referred to him never seemed to have a problem staying clean.

"Then what are you doing here, Michael?" Hawke asked through narrowed eyes as he wiped some grease off of his hands with a shop rag.

"Actually I'm here to see Caitlin and congratulate her," Michael explained.

"For what?" Hawke asked, increasingly suspicious. It wasn't like the spy to make a social call.

"I received word from the doctors at the clinic this morning that she's been released to fly, even Airwolf at Mach speeds if so needed. I know how anxious she has been to get back to work and wanted to extend my congratulations."

"Woo hoo! That's great news!" Dom exclaimed.

Hawke however didn't seem quite so excited. "Damn, Michael, those doctors must have you on speed dial. Caitlin's not even back from her appointment yet," Hawke acknowledged as he turned back towards the chopper. "But we'll make sure she knows you stopped by."

Looking at Dom with a shrug, Michael started back for the limo. "Yes, well please do. And tell her I owe her a dinner. She bet me she'd be back in three months and I didn't believe her. I guess she's tougher than I thought."

"You should have known better than to bet against that Texas determination," Dom said with a laugh as he waved goodbye to the spy.

"Well now, I'd say this calls for a celebration!," Dom said as he turned back to Hawke. "How about I run over to the food truck and get some of those Tacos that Cait likes so much? And I'll pick up some beer while I'm out. We'll have us a celebratory lunch when she gets back," Dom suggested.

"Sounds great, Dom," Hawke agreed. "She should be on her way. I'll wait here for her."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Twenty minutes later Hawke had cleaned up and gotten out of his mechanics overalls just in time to see Caitlin's car pull in. Heading out to meet her, he stopped when he saw her get out of the car. He had been expecting to see her with a huge smile on her face and excited about getting clearance to fly but instead he could immediately tell that she looked troubled.

Regaining his composure he met her halfway across the hangar. "Hey," he said with a smile. "I was beginning to think you got lost. Everything go okay?" he asked as he looped his arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss on the check.

"Sort of," she said with a weak smile back at him. _"God, I hate to lie to him,"_ she thought to herself as she saw the concerned look in his eyes. She had put him through so much over the last few months, she didn't want to make him worry any more.

"So….what did the doctor say? Did you get your clearance to fly?" he asked as they reached the office. Hawke wasn't sure why he was asking since he knew the answer but something about the way Cait was acting told him something was off and that he should let her tell him for herself.

Putting her purse down and disengaging herself from Hawke's arm, Caitlin went around and sat behind the desk before answering. "Well here goes nothing," she thought. "No, actually I didn't. My ankle was bothering me quite a bit during therapy today and the doctor thought another week of healing would be a good idea before I got back in the pilot's seat. I'm really sorry, Hawke. I know how busy you and Dom have been trying to take up my slack." Having practiced the line all the way back from the doctor's office, Cait hoped that she sounded convincing.

Knowing the truth, Hawke was surprised, to say the least, that Cait had just lied to him. For a moment he was dumbstruck and not sure what to do. As he took a seat on the edge of the desk, however, one look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. She was scared. Not just scared but terrified. He had seen the look in many a wounded pilots' eyes after they returned from Vietnam. Once experienced and confident pilots who were now scared to get back in the cockpit after a horrible crash or near death experience. Hell, he'd experienced a twinge of those feelings a time or two himself after a dangerous mission either during the war or in Airwolf. He actually remembered reading something not long ago about a new diagnosis that doctors were using for just such a condition – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Of course, now her actions of the last week started to make sense to him. As the date of her release to fly again drew nearer, she must have been getting more and more worried about what would happen when she took the controls again. The real question was why hadn't she told him how she was feeling? Hawke wanted to ask her just that but something stopped him from doing so. She must have her reasons. For now, he would let her go on with the charade until he could figure out how to approach her. _"But I'll be damned if she thinks she's going to go through this alone,"_ he vowed to himself.

"Hey, no worries," he said as he reached over and gently stroked her cheek with his hand. "We'll handle it. The important thing is that you get completely healed before getting back out there, right?"

Unable to speak, Caitlin just nodded and tried to smile at Hawke but she couldn't keep a tear from coming to her eyes. She hated lying to him but on the other hand she worried about what would happen if she could never bring herself to fly again. Flying was the glue that held her and Hawke together. Understanding each other's passion of being free and in the clouds was their biggest common denominator. If they lost that, what would happen to them, she had started to wonder.

"You look exhausted,'' Hawke observed. "Why don't you let me take you home? I can come back later and help Dom finish up the maintenance on these choppers."

"Where is Dom?" Caitlin asking, finally realized she hadn't seen the older man since returning to the hangar.

"Oh, well he went out to get some lunch but I can leave him a note."

"No, that's okay, Hawke. You stay here. I can drive myself home," Caitlin said as she stood from behind the desk. "As a matter of fact, if you don't mind, I'd like to be by myself tonight. Why don't you go back to the cabin after work? I'm sure Tet misses you," she said quietly as she gathered her purse.

"Caitlin…" he said softly as he gently reached for her arm as she walked by him.

"No, Hawke, please. I'm okay, really," Caitlin almost pleaded. "I just need some alone time, that's all, okay?"

The desperate look in her eyes was breaking Hawke's heart but he had no idea what to do. He was afraid if he confronted her with her lie or her fear of flying it might just make things worse instead of better. He decided he would take the afternoon to see Michael and see if he had any advice. From his reading, he knew that confronting someone with PTSD in the wrong way could be hazardous to their health and well-being. The last thing he wanted to do was to put Caitlin through anything more.

Looking deep into her eyes, he nodded his head. "Yeah, okay. But only under two conditions."

"What?" Caitlin asked a little impatiently, just wanting to get away from Hawke's inpenetrable stare.

"One, you call me if you need ANYTHING, got it? I don't care how small, you call me."

"Okay." Caitlin agreed meekly. "What's the second thing?"

"That you know how much I love you," Hawke said as he gently wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye. "No matter what…I love you, Caitlin. Okay?"

"I know, String," she said quietly. Giving him one final attempt at a smile, Caitlin quickly turned and left.

Five minutes later, Dom walked in carrying a large grocery bag and found Hawke still sitting on the edge of the desk in the office. "Hey, wasn't that Caitlin I just saw driving away?"

"Yeah," Hawke confirmed. "Dom, we need to talk. Caitlin's in trouble and I'm not sure how to help her." For the next hour, Hawke and Dom sat and talked about Caitlin trying to figure out what to do. In the end, Dom agreed that Hawke needed to go to Knightsbridge and check with Michael to see if he had any ideas on how to help the troubled pilot.

"Don't worry, String, we'll figure it out. Caitlin will beat this," Dom consoled the younger man. Looking to his mentor, Hawke just hoped he was right.

_TBC…._


	3. Chapter 3

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 3**_

"Post Traumtic Stress Disorder?" Michael repeated back to Hawke who was sitting across from the spy in Michael's office at Knightsbridge. "Yes, I've heard of it but why in the world would you be asking me about it?"

"I swear Michael, can't you ever just answer a question straight out? I just need to know if you have anyone in The Firm who may be working with PTSD patients? It's a yes or no answer, this isn't difficult," Hawke replied in an exasperated tone.

Sensing how important this must be to Hawke, Michael acquiesced and answered the question – sort of. "Okay, Hawke. Yes, we do have a specialist in that area who's been spearheading a lot of the new research. However, before I tell you anything else, I think I deserve to know why you are asking. And if this in any way affects any of the Airwolf team then I demand to know." Michael may consider Hawke, Dom and Caitlin friends but he also had his loyalty to The FIRM.

Sighing because he knew he really couldn't keep this from Michael, Hawke got up and paced to the other end of the room before answering. "It's Caitlin, I think she's suffering from this PTSD thing and I think she's afraid to fly again."

"Caitlin?!" Michael asked in surprise as he absently stroked his mustache, a nervous habit.

"Yeah, when she came back from the doctor's office she told me that she hadn't been cleared to fly for at least another week because her ankle was still bothering her. Of course I knew she was lying after what you had told us."

"But why?" Michael asked. "I mean that's all she's talked about for the last couple of months – getting back in the cockpit."

"She's scared, Michael, really scared. I could see it in her eyes. I've seen guys who came back from the war with that same look in their eyes. It's what got me thinking about this Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that I read about. I think she's scared of crashing again." A pained look came across Hawke's face with the last statement. He couldn't help but still feel partially responsible for the crash that had since caused Caitilin so much physical, and evidently, emotional pain and turmoil.

"Alright, then, I'll have Laura set up a meeting with Dr. Compton. He's our specialist on this. Of course, I'm sure he'll want to see Caitlin, too." Michael said as he made himself a note.

"I know but I want to talk to him first," Hawke said. "Caitlin doesn't even know that I'm aware that she's been released to fly if she wants to. And she certainly doesn't know that I'm here talking to you about any of this."

"You mean you didn't tell her you knew? Do you think that's wise?" Michael asked with concern.

"I don't know, Michael. That's why I want to talk to your guy. I don't want to do anything that might put Caitlin in a bigger tailspin than she's already in."

Michael was surprised to hear the amount of worry in Hawke's voice. He knew that the pilot had come to care for Caitlin pretty deeply over the past couple of months but he realized then that he hadn't known just how much. Hawke was head over heels and seeing Cait like this must be tearing him up.

"Okay, I'll have the doctor call you later this afternoon. Can I reach you at the hangar?"

"Yeah, or the cabin. Caitlin's gone back to her apartment for the night so you won't have to worry about her answering the phone. Thanks, Michael."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

_"You're cleared to fly."_ How is it that those four little words could cause so much trepidation and fear, Caitlin wondered as she sat alone in her apartment. For weeks she thought that she had wanted nothing more than to get back to flying. To experience the one thing she loved more than anything else in the world with the man that she had fallen in love with. Sure they had flown together lots of times before the accident but she had looked forward to sharing the experience with Hawke now that their relationship had changed.

Of course, the irony of the whole situation was that if she couldn't ever fly again, would Hawke still want her? What would be left between them if she couldn't fly? On the one hand she couldn't bear the thought of getting into another helicopter, not even Airwolf. On the other hand, if she didn't', she knew she would lose the love of her life. Cait had convinced herself that it couldn't be one or the other…this was an all or nothing situation and the thought of losing Hawke scared her as much as getting back into the cockpit.

Upon her return to her apartment she had realized that Hawke was right, she was exhausted. She had laid on the couch trying to sleep but every time she closed her eyes, horrible and vivid visions of the crash had filled her mind. She would hear the crunching and tearing of metal as she hit the tree line and the sound of glass breaking as she first hit the ground and the horrendous sound of metal bending as the helicopter leaned to one side and the rotors caught the earth beneath. And all the while, a feeling of such helplessness filling her with dread as she tried desperately to pull out of the dive but the helicopter refused to respond. Caitlin had woken herself with a scream, sweat pouring down her face.

_"Dammit, Cait, what the hell is wrong with you?" _she chastised herself as she sat trying to bring her heart beat and breathing back to a somewhat normal rate after the nightmare. _"For three months I've been perfectly fine but let me finally recover and now I'm lying to Hawke and I'm scared to death of flying. This is ridiculous. I can't let this happen. I need to stop being such a sissy and just get out there."_

Gathering up all of her hard-headedness and stubbornness, Caitlin made the decision that the best thing to do would be to just face her fears head on. Within minutes she had convinced herself that she would head back to the hangar after 6:00 pm, when she was sure that both Hawke and Dom were gone for the night, and just take the Jet Ranger for a quick flight. While the thought of it scared her to death, she figured that as soon as she got in the air, she'd be okay. "At least then I won't have to lie to Hawke or Dom or anyone else anymore," she thought as she smiled to herself, glad that her troubles would soon be over.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Okay, thanks for the information Doc. And don't worry, I'll do whatever I have to, to get her to your office tomorrow." Hawke hung up the phone and sat back in the desk chair at the hangar as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"So, what did he say?" Dominic asked impatiently after Hawke remained silent for several seconds.

"Just as I suspected. He says from what I've described, he's pretty sure that Cait's suffering from this PTSD. He's said it's kind of like what we used to call shell shock."

"But why now? I mean she's been fine for three months, not even a nightmare unless you guys haven't been telling me everything," Dom asked as he paced the small office.

"No she's been doing really well. But Doc. Compton said that it's not unusual for there to be a delay after the event in the appearance of symptoms. Evidently, before she was told she was going to be released to fly again, she didn't have to worry about it. He thinks it wasn't until the reality of actually being allowed to fly again hit her that she had reason to be scared."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Dom said as he stopped and pushed his ball cap back on his head. "So what do we do about it? I mean I remember some of those guys that came back from the big war that we called Shell-shocked. Most of them didn't do so well," Dom said with worry lacing his voice.

"Yeah, I saw it too with a lot of guys coming back from 'Nam," Hawke agreed. "But this doctor says they've got all kinds of new therapy and medications that really work. He wants me to bring Caitlin in tomorrow to see him so he can do an assessment and figure out how to help her. He also said it was a good thing I didn't confront her about her lie earlier. While he'll eventually want her to face the trauma, he said if it's not done under controlled conditions the results can be extremely frightening and damaging for her. One more thing, he said she shouldn't be alone because some of the symptoms of PTSD can include paranoia, severe depression and even patients hurting themselves. He doubts she's progressed that far but I don't plan on taking any chances." Hawke said with determination as he got up and grabbed his leather flight jacket off the back of the chair.

"But didn't Cait tell you she wanted to be alone tonight?" Dom asked, following Hawke out of the hangar to the Jeep.

"Yeah, but you know I'm not good at taking orders," Hawke said with a grin as he donned his sunglasses. "It's almost 6:00 pm anyways. Why don't you close up this joint and we'll go and see her together. She can't get too mad at me if you're there as a buffer."

"You got it kid! Just give me five minutes and we'll be out of here," Dom said as he ran back in the hangar to turn off the lights and lock up.

_TBC…_

_A/N: Okay so this story took a slightly different turn than I was expecting but as I read more about PTSD, I started getting some different ideas. Of course, I now have Cait throwing herself right into a situation that she shouldn't be faced with… Let's just hope the muse finds it in her heart to have everything turn out alright. Only the muse knows, I guess. _


	4. Chapter 4

Finding Normal

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 4**_

Caitlin had taken the service entrance into Van Auys airport so that she could avoid anyone she knew as she got to the hangar. Parking her car, she took a good look around to make sure that Dom, Hawke and Evan, Santini Air's mechanic, had all left for the day. Seeing that the Stars and Stripes painted Jeep was gone and all the doors shut, Caitlin surmised that she had timed her arrival well.

The whole way over, Caitlin had done her best to build up her confidence, telling herself that she could do this and that if she really wanted things to work out for her and Hawke, she would have to get back in the cockpit. She had been feeling pretty good about it until she actually saw the helicopter on the tarmac before her. Suddenly she started to shake and she couldn't even make herself get out of the car. Flashes of the crash started to play across her mind and the fear started to overtake her once again.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Hawke pulled the Jeep into Caitlin's apartment complex and a puzzled look crossed his face as he glanced around the parking lot.

"What is it, kid?" Dom asked noticing Hawke's furrowed brow.

"I don't see Cait's car," Hawke said as he removed his sunglasses for a better look.

"Oh, well maybe she parked in a different spot," Dom reasoned.

"No, the residents here have assigned parking. Her space is the one up front there. It's empty. Where the hell could she be?"

"Maybe she just went out for groceries or something, String. I mean it's not like she was expecting us, you know?"

"No, something's not right, Dom," Hawke said with concern. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on edge and Hawke's infamous sixth sense was kicking in…hard. As he put his sunglasses back on, he noticed Caitlin's next door neighbor walking out of the apartment building. "Hang on, that's Mrs. Carver. She keeps pretty close tabs on Caitlin and watches her apartment when she's gone. Caitlin says she a huge gossip and knows everything that goes on in the building," he explained as he got out of the Jeep, Dom following behind.

"Mrs. Carver?" Hawke said as he approached the middle-aged woman. "Do you remember me? I'm Stringfellow Hawke, we met a few weeks ago."

"Oh yes, you're Caitlin's boyfriend. Nice to see you again," she answered with a warm smile. "If you're here to see Caitlin though, I'm afraid you've just missed her."

"You saw her leave?" Hawke asked. "Did she happen to say where she was going?"

"There's nothing wrong, is there?" Mrs. Carver asked detecting a slight hint of concern in the younger man's voice.

"I'm sure there's not, it's just that I really wanted to speak with her. Maybe I should just wait for her to come back."

"Well you might be waiting for a while, from what I gathered," Mrs. Carver told the men. "I did pass her in the hall when she was on the way out and she said something about going back to work. She had something to do in one of those helicopters that you two seem to enjoy flying so much. Although I really don't understand it, I prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground. If God had wanted us to fly…," seeing an impatient look cross Hawke's face, Mrs. Carver realized that she was rambling and got back to the point. "Anyways, I was surprised to hear she was allowed to fly again after that horrible accident but she said the doctor had just cleared her this morning so she was going back for a test flight or something."

Dom and Hawke exchanged surprised glances. "Are you sure she said she was going flying?" Dominic asked her.

"Oh yes, she actually seemed very excited about it. Or maybe excited isn't the right word…maybe more nervous…but either way she was eager to get back to work she said," Mrs. Carver explained.

Hawke knew that for Caitlin to force herself back into flying in her current state of mind was not a good idea. He was already half-way back to the Jeep leaving Dom to thank Mrs. Carver and then run after him to catch up.

"String, I'm sure she's okay. She won't do anything she's not capable of handling," Dom said as he climbed in the Jeep.

"Normally, I'd say you're right Dom," Hawke said as he started the Jeep and pulled out of the parking lot. "But after what Dr. Compton told me, she may not be in her right state of mind. If she tries to push herself to far too soon, it could be bad. What if she gets in the air and has flashbacks or a panic attack? We've got to get back to her before she gets off the ground!"

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

She had no idea how long she had sat in her car but Caitlin had finally forced herself to calm down. Taking several deep breaths, she got out of her car and walked over to the Jet Ranger. "_It's just a helicopter, Cait, you can do this just like you have thousands of times before!"_ she said to herself as she opened the door. "_One step at a time, that's all. Just get in, buckle up and go through the pre-flight checks. You can do that much."_

Her hands shaking the whole time, Caitlin was finally able to get herself into the cockpit and was slowly checking her controls. _"So far, so good…now just turn on the rotors and get her warmed up. Nothing can happen to you just sitting here. Quit being such a baby."_ Reaching down, Caitlin flipped the switch and began to power up the rotors. _"Okay, all's good, now just take her up…slowly."_

For the first few seconds all seemed fine but then suddenly the sound of the rotors and the sensation of the helicopter's skids lifting off the tarmac grabbed her like a vice around her throat. She could barely breathe and instead of the tarmac in front of her, all she could see was the vision of the ground rising up to meet her in the canyons of L.A. where they had filmed the stunt in which she had crashed. Suddenly, in Caitlin's mind, she was no longer in the Santini Air chopper but back in the Black Hawke, desperately trying to save herself from crashing into the canyon floor. Immediately her instinct was to pull up the nose and try everything she could to stop the dive.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Caitlin!" Hawke screamed as he skidded the Jeep to a stop in front of the hangar, jumping out before even turning the engine off. He and Dom had watched in horror as the Jet Ranger had started to lift off and then suddenly jerked violently out of control when it was no more than 50 feet off the ground. They both could do nothing but helplessly watch as the helicopter flipped to one side and rolled over as it came crashing back down and hit the concrete. The awful sound of the moving rotors hitting the tarmac filled the night but the only sound that Hawke hear were the screams coming from Caitlin inside. Hawke instantly knew it was a scene that would forever be etched onto his memory.

In the distance, sirens could be heard as the airport fire department headed towards the scene but for Hawke it was all a blur. Not caring about the smoke or the danger of fire, Hawke ran right up to the wrecked chopper and climbed up on it's side. Looking down into the cockpit, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Caitlin in tears but alive and appearing relatively uninjured. "Hang on, baby, I'm here," he called in to her as he struggled to open the door. Finally getting it open he reached down and offered a hand to her. "Take my hand Caitlin, I'll pull you out!"

Hearing Hawke's voice suddenly seemed to bring her back to reality and Caitlin looked around herself cautiously. To her surprise she seemed to be in the Jet Ranger and not the Black Hawke. And she wasn't in the canyon but on the tarmac outside of the Santini Air Hangar. The helicopter seemed to be on it's side with smoke billowing from the engine.

"Hawke? What the hell happened? How'd I get here?" she finally asked as she looked up at him.

"Caitlin, just take my hand. I'll explain it to you when we get you out but we've got to get away from this thing, now!" Hawke said as he noticed the white smoke turning to gray. If the chopper caught fire, it would go up quickly. "Caitlin…NOW!" he screamed at her to get her attention.

The stern tone of Hawke's voice brought her completely back to the present and Caitlin reached up and let him pull her out. Quickly they were jumping to the ground and running away from the smoking aircraft, just as the fire trucks were pulling up and getting ready to foam it down.

"Caitlin, honey…are you okay?" Dom asked as he met them at the entrance of the hangar.

"Yeah, I think so," Caitlin said as she looked back at the damaged chopper. "Oh God, what have I done?" she asked as her knees started to collapse out from under her.

Gently lowering her to the ground, Hawke knelt beside her, never letting go of her. "Shhh, it's okay, Caitlin, you're safe now," he said as he tenderly stroked her cheek and leant down giving her a kiss on the forehead. "It's all going to be okay. We're going to get you the help you need, I promise."

"I'm so sorry," Caitlin said, starting to repeat it over and over until she passed out from the stress and fear of what had just happened.

"I've already called Michael, String," Dom said as he watched String cooing over Caitlin's now limp form. "Dr. Compton is waiting for her at the clinic. He's sending an ambulance to take her in. Looks like they're coming in now," Dom informed him as he spied the vehicle driving up to the hangar.

As she was loaded into the ambulance, Hawke never left her side or broke contact with Caitlin, even if it just meant holding her hand or stroking her hair. He couldn't imagine what she had been through, or the road she still had in front of her, but he knew one thing. He would be there to help her with it every step of the way. Losing her was not an option, not this time.

_TBC…_

_A/N: Again the muse has changed directions on me…but that's okay. We have more to come and now I can also include what was in my original plot line eventually as well. I believe we have a little ways to go with this one and I promise…there will be some Airwolf action before it's all over __Thanks for the follows and reviews…they keep me motivated!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 5**_

Hawke paced the waiting room as Dom and Michael looked on. It had been nearly impossible to pry him away from Caitlin when they reached the clinic but Dr. Compton had met them at the door and assured him that Cait would be well taken care of.

"Dammit, it's been over an hour. What the hell are they doing in there?" Hawke asked in frustration as he walked past Archangel for about the hundredth time.

"Dr. Compton and our team here are the best, Hawke. I'm sure they wanted to do a thorough check up and make sure she was physically okay as well. Dominic said it was a pretty hard landing even if it wasn't a far descent," Michael tried to assure the younger man.

The memory of the helicopter's fall and hearing Cait's screams stopped Hawke in his tracks momentarily. Those screams would haunt him for a long time to come. Shaking off the vision, Hawke resumed his pacing.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Dom observed as he watched Hawke with concern.

Just then the three men turned as the waiting room door opened and Dr. Compton entered the room. "Gentlemen, I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long but I wanted to get all of the information I could before I came to speak to you."

"And?" Hawke asked matter of factly as he came to a stop about a foot in front of the doctor.

"And, physically, she's seems to have come out relatively unscathed. A few cuts and bruises, maybe a sprained wrist, but other than that, she's fine."

Hawke let out a breath that he hadn't even known he was holding and finally Dom could see a little of the tension in his shoulders relax.

"However," the doctor continued, "I've confirmed what we spoke about earlier on the phone, Mr. Hawke. Ms. O'Shannessy is definitely suffering from a bout of PTSD from the earlier crash. Unfortunately, tonight's incident isn't going to do anything to help that situation either."

"Meaning?" Hawke again wasting no words trying to get to the heart of the matter.

"Gentlemen, let's sit down," the doctor said as he indicated the round table at the back of the room. Once they were all seated, the doctor continued. "Now from what you told me on the phone, Mr. Hawke, Ms. O'Shannessy started experiencing symptoms of PTSD about a week ago?"

"Yeah, that's probably right," Hawke said as he shrugged. "I mean I didn't realize what it was then but after her physical therapist told her she was about to be released to get in the pilot's seat again, that was when she started to become, I don't know, more distant with me, finding excuses not to have me fly her up to my cabin, things like that. Of course, I only see that now that I look back on it…hindsight, I guess."

"Yes, that makes sense," the doctor agreed as he looked at her chart.

"Hey Doc," Dominic interrupted, "what I don't understand is if she was so afraid to fly, then what was she trying to do tonight?"

"Well, once the other doctors were done with their physical exam, I got a chance to go in and talk with Ms. O'Shannessy about that very thing. Remember I told you that PTSD patients often suffer from paranoia and depression? Well, it seems as if a little of both were at work here. Mr. Hawke, I hate to be so personal, but your romantic relationship with Ms. O'Shannessy, it's fairly new I take it?"

"Well we've worked together for over two years but yeah, our personal relationship has increased since the crash three months ago. What does that have to do with anything?" Hawke asked as he fixed on the doctor with a narrow gaze. Talking about his personal life was never a favorite past time for Hawke.

"A lot, actually. When I spoke with her, Ms. O'Shannessy was in quite a manic state and it was difficult making too much sense out of what she was saying but it seems as if she felt she had to fly in order to keep you. She believes that if she can't be a pilot then you would no longer want to have a relationship with her and that pained her deeply. She was trying to prove to herself and you that she could still be a good pilot."

"But I never said anything like that!" Hawke said rather loudly, upset that anything he could have done or said may have caused Caitlin more pain.

"String!" Michael interjected, putting his hand on Hawke's shoulder to calm him down. "The doctor didn't say you did…let him finish."

"Thank you, Archangel," The doctor said as he nodded at the spy. "Mr. Hawke, I'm not blaming you, I'm just telling you the perspective that Ms. O'Shannessy has at this time. It's all part of the PTSD. She's imagining things that may not be true, making the situation something other than what it really may be."

"So what can I do?" Hawke asked as he slumped back in his chair.

"Exactly what you've already been doing, be here to support her and assure her that you care for her no matter what. The rest will be up to me and her: therapy, medication and most of all, time."

"What about the crash tonight?," Michael asked, wanting to get the whole story. "Did she say what actually happened?"

Shaking his head, the doctor explained what he knew. "She doesn't really remember much which tells me that at some point, probably right after take off, she blacked out or more likely had a flashback to the original crash. I think she was basically reliving the first time and probably making the same maneuvers to avoid the crash which actually, in this case, caused the opposite. We're just lucky that it happened so soon after take-off and not when she was in mid-flight. If it had, it probably would have been fatal."

Everyone at the table sat silent for a few moments thinking about the possible repercussions that could have taken place. It was sobering for all of them.

"So will she ever be able to fly again?" Hawke inquired, finally asking the question that had been on everyone's mind.

"I can't answer that, Mr. Hawke. For most sufferers of PTSD, we can get it back under control and with some intensive therapy some of them can get back to doing what caused the trauma in the first place. Others, they can never face it again. We'll just have to wait and see. From what I've seen of Ms. O'Shannessy though, I'd say she was a fighter and if she has any choice in the matter, then I'd bet she'll be back in the air eventually."

"You bet she will!" Dominic said emphatically.

"I want to see her," Hawke finally said as he stood from the table.

"Of course," the doctor agreed. "Now, I've given her a sedative, she was quite upset when she came to earlier, so she may not be very receptive to you but I would suggest that someone stays with her from now on until we can get the PTSD under control."

"Don't' worry, Doc, we'll take care of her. She'll be in good hands," Dominic assured him.

Looking around the table, the doctor had no doubt that Dominic Santini was right, Caitlin was in very capable and caring hands. She was lucky to have more than most.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Hawke slowly pushed open the door to Caitlin's room, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping.

"Hawke?" Caitlin asked from her bed as she turned to see who was entering the room.

"Yeah, baby, it's me," he responded with a smile as he came up and sat on the edge of her bed. "How you doing?"

"I feel kind of groggy," she said as she tried to hold back a yawn.

"The doctor gave you a sedative…you're supposed to be sleeping," he said softly as he gently rubbed her arm.

"Hawke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry," she said as a tear fell from her eye.

"Hey, you've got nothing to be sorry about, Cait," Hawke said as he reached up and wiped away the tear.

"But I wrecked Dom's helicopter," she said mournfully. "I bet he's really mad."

"No, Cait. He's just glad that you're okay, that's the important thing. The chopper will fix. Heck he was looking for an excuse to get a new one anyways," Hawke said with a grin trying to lighten the mood.

Not knowing what else to say, the two sat in silence for a few moments. Hawke was just glad that she was physically okay and just being with her provided him the reassurance that he needed. He watched contentedly as she closed her eyes and seemed to give in to the effects of the sedative.

About ten minutes later, Hawke was surprised to hear Cait's voice again.

"Hawke, you don't have to stay."

"What?" he asked surprised at her statement.

"I just mean that you don't owe me anything and you don't have to stay. I'll understand if you don't want to," she said softly.

"Hey, are you trying to get rid of me? You got a hot date with a doctor or something?" " he said with a mischevious grin, hoping to stop this line of conversation.

"No, but after tonight, and now that I know that I can't fly anymore, I'll understand if you want to move on. We don't have to pretend that this is going to work, not now."

"Caitlin, do you really think the only reason I love you is because you're a pilot?" Hawke asked as he slid next to her in the bed and gently put his arm around her, pulling her close into his side. "Baby, I don't care if you ever get in another helicopter or airplane again. I love you for who you are, not what you can fly." Leaning over he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"But being a pilot IS who I am…or at least who I was, Hawke. What if I can't ever fly again? Then who am I?" she asked, scared of what the answer might be.

"Then you'll still be the same loving, funny, tough, brave, spunky, red-headed woman I fell in love with. You'll just be on the ground instead of the in the air, that's all. I can handle that." Cupping her chin, Hawke tilted her face up so that she would have to look at him. "Caitlin, I love you and nothing is going to change that, you need to understand that, okay?"

Letting his words sink in, Caitlin nodded and buried herself further into his safe embrace. She wanted so much to believe him. She couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else.

"And anyways, Caitlin, who says you won't fly again? The doctor says it will just take time."

"I want to Hawke, I really do. I just get so scared and I keep re-living the crash over and over again," she explained.

"Well if it's what you really want then we'll make it happen, Cait. But there's no hurry and just know, that even if it never happens, we'll be okay."

Dom smiled from the doorway, having heard the last part of Cait and String's conversation. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop but he didn't want to interrupt when he'd heard them. He was glad he didn't. _"Looks like String has finally come around,"_ Dom said to himself, happy that his surrogate son had found someone to make him truly happy. The fact that it was Caitlin, was just all the better. Turning around, he quietly left the two alone.

_TBC…._

_A/N: So now that we have Hawke and Cait firmly planted in a solid relationship (yeah!) we can move onto Part II of this story. The second half should be a little more exciting and Airwolf will make her reappearance. Thanks again for reading _


	6. Chapter 6

Finding Normal

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 6**_

_A/N: I have no idea if the techniques I've described in this chapter could actually be used as treatment for someone with PTSD. I've done some study but would never claim that these treatments would work. They are made up for the sole purpose of this story. _

_**Ten Weeks Later**_

"Okay, Caitlin…you ready?" Hawke asked from the pilot's position that he occupied in Airwolf. Caitlin was next to him in the co-pilot's seat with Dom at his usual position behind them at the computers.

"I think so," Caitlin answered still sounding somewhat unsure of herself.

"You can do this, honey," Dom tried to encourage from the back as he reached forward and gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder.

"All right. Now, I'm going to turn her over to you, Cait. Just remember, if you start to feel like you're losing control or you think a flashback may be coming on, just give me your safe word and I'll take back over, okay?" Hawke looked over at Cait with a mixture of concern and encouragement in his blue eyes.

Nodding, Caitlin settled herself in her seat and prepared to take over.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

For the last ten weeks, Caitlin had been working up to this moment. Every day since the crash at Santini Air, she had been working with Dr. Compton and the PTSD specialists at The FIRM to learn to live with her diagnosis. With the support of Hawke and Dom, a lot of progress had been made and Caitlin was learning once again how to fly without the fear of crashing constantly taking over.

The first milestone had been returning to the hangar about two weeks after the crash. She first had to learn how to just be around the helicopters without feeling tense and frightened. Within days, she was back to working in the office and answering phones.

After that it was flying just as a passenger with either Dom or Hawke. The first flight up to Hawke's cabin had been a tense one and there had been a scary moment when she had experienced a frightening flashback but luckily Dom had been flying and Hawke had been at her side to talk her through it.

That was when the theory of a safe word had been brought up to her by Dr. Compton. It was a word or phrase that could be used to either let others know that she was feeling nervous or frightened or that she could repeat to herself to calm down. He told her to choose something that made her feel at peace and protected. Caitlin had chosen the word "Eagle". If she was in the air with Dom or Hawke and she could feel her PTSD symptoms coming on, she would talk to them about the eagle up at Hawke's cabin and it would cue them that it was time to get her back on the ground or that she needed help. When Cait would awake in the middle of the night from nightmares, she would try to picture the graceful flight of the eagle above the lake to slow her heart rate and bring her back to the present.

Within two months, Caitlin had actually started to feel confident enough to get behind the controls of one of the Santini Air helicopters. Of course, she wouldn't fly alone. Dom and/or Hawke were always with her but soon she was taking over the controls of the helicopters at Santini Air in flight, even attempting a take-off and landing recently. Every day she seemed to be returning more and more to her old self.

Last week, she was feeling so confident that she had asked Hawke to take her up in Airwolf. Of course she didn't feel ready to pilot the awesome machine but she had found herself really missing the feeling she got when flying in the world's most technologically advanced helicopter. She had even had Hawke take it to turbo speeds but was disappointed when she found herself using her safe word within seconds. It had been a little too much, too soon. Still, the exhilaration of being back in Airwolf had left her wanting more…a good sign according to Dr. Compton.

Then, earlier that morning at the cabin, Hawke had awakened to find Caitlin out of bed before him. Worried that something was wrong, he threw on a pair of jeans and rushed downstairs to find the front door of the cabin open. Rushing across the living room he stopped when he saw Caitlin dressed only in his sweater from the night before standing on the porch drinking a steaming cup of coffee staring out at the lake. The sight of her in the morning fog took his breath away.

"Caitlin? Everything okay?" he asked quietly as he padded out in his bare feet and came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist.

Caitlin leaned her head back against his bare chest and smiled. "I want to fly Airwolf, Hawke. I mean I want to pilot her."

Though still worried about her, Hawke felt a smile subconsciously crossing his face. He knew this was a huge step for Caitlin, he was so proud of her. "Are you sure?"

Caitlin set her coffee mug down on the porch railing and turned in Hawke's arms so that she was facing him. "More sure than I've been of anything in a long time. I can't stop thinking about it. Will you take me up today?"

"If that's what you want, then that's we'll do," He said with a smile as he reached up and brushed an errant hair out of her eyes. "It's good to see that spark in your eyes again. It's been too long," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's good to actually feel excited about flying again and not just scared or nervous. And I have you to thank for that, you know."

"Me?" Hawke asked incredulously. "You're the one that's been doing all the hard work. I've just had the pleasure of sitting back and watching," he added with a grin.

"Maybe, but I couldn't have done it without you here to help me through it, String. I know I've been a handful with the nightmares and the tears and being so scared all the time. You've been very patient with me."

"Hey, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. You know that," he said softly as he gazed into her eyes. "I almost lost you, twice. It made me realize how important you are to me. I wasn't about to let you go again." Feeling a slight shiver run down his back at the thought, Hawke pulled Caitlin in closer and kissed her passionately.

"Hmmm, well I don't think you have to worry about," Caitlin said with a smile as they finally separated for a breath. "As a matter of fact, why don't you take me back upstairs and let me show you just how thankful I am," she said with a grin.

"Well if you must," Hawke said with a chuckle as he picked her up and carried her back inside.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Now they were 5,000 feet up in Airwolf and Hawke was ready to hand over the controls to Cait for the first time in almost six months. She wasn't sure if the butterflies in her stomach were exhilaration or fear but she knew it was what she wanted.

"Right, I'm ready," she said as she took a deep breath and winked at Hawke. Soon she could feel the slight tug on the cyclic in her hands telling her that Hawke had released control on his side and while there was a split-second of fear that ran through her, soon the joy of flying such a magnificent machine took over.

"Oh, Hawke! It's wonderful! It feels good, it really feels good!" she said, a huge smile breaking across her face.

Hawke turned to see the sparkle in her eyes that he had mentioned earlier that morning had returned in full-force.

"Woo hoo! Thattagirl Cait!" Dom whooped from the back. "I knew you could do it."

Cait spent the next 20 minutes piloting the behemoth helicopter through the Valley of the Gods. While she didn't feel ready to have Dom throw the turbos, she felt better and more confident than she had in a long time.

Suddenly, however, a strong air current took hold of the aircraft and there was a quick moment of turbulence that pulled Airwolf down into the air pocket. Cait froze and within seconds she could feel the visions of her crash in the canyons starting to creep in. Her breathing quickened and she started having trouble focusing on the controls as she slid deeper into the flashback. Knowing that she had to pull herself out, she struggled to get the words out.

"Hawke! The eagle! I need to see the eagle!" she cried as she tried to put the picture of the majestic bird in her mind instead of the vision of the ground rushing up to meet her.

"Cait, I've got it. Hang on!" Hawke told her as he rushed to take back control of the helicopter as he could feel the nose starting to dive where Caitlin had panicked and pushed forward on the cyclic. Within seconds Hawke had Airwolf back on course and flying straight and level. "Dom, put it on autopilot!" Hawke ordered as he took off his helmet and reached over to help Cait off with hers.

"Cait, it's okay. Just breathe baby," he said as he watched her try to bring herself back to reality.

"Dammit!" Caitlin suddenly cursed loudly. "I thought I was ready for this!" she cried as she looked at Hawke.

"Caitlin, honey, you did great!" Dominic said from the back. "We're all okay, nothing happened and you flew The Lady for a long time."

"Dom's right, Cait," Hawke said as he reached over and brushed her cheek. "You did great."

"Yeah, until I hit a stupid air pocket," Caitlin said with frustration. "You guys know that happens all the time in any aircraft. How am I ever going to be able to fly by myself if I can't handle something as simple as hitting an air pocket?"

Hawke and Dom threw a quick glance at each other knowing that she was right. But she had come so far and neither wanted to discourage her.

"Hey, you knew this wasn't going to be easy but you did it and you knew how to get yourself out of trouble, too. That's a lot Caitlin," Hawke said gently trying to reason with her. "We all knew this wasn't going to happen all at once but you took a really big step today. I'm proud of you, baby."

"Me too, Caitlin!" Dom agreed as he gave her a thumbs up.

"I guess so," Caitlin said half-heartedly. "It's just so damn frustrating."

"Yeah, well neither you or String over there has ever been very good at being patient," Dom said with a hmmmph. "Don't worry, honey, it'll come in time. I know it will."

"Thanks, Dom," Caitlin returned with a warm smile.

"Okay, we all good here?" Hawke asked. Getting nods back from both Dom and Caitlin, he turned back in his seat and replaced his helmet as Cait did the same. "Then let's get The Lady home and head back to the cabin. I think it's Dom turn to make supper."

_TBC…._


	7. Chapter 7

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 7**_

"Damn!" String said with a foul look as he suddenly broke out of Caitlin's passionate embrace on the couch.

"And here I always thought you said I was a good kisser," Caitlin said somewhat sarcastically.

Raising an eyebrow and looking back at her, Hawke couldn't help but grin. "The best, baby," he confirmed. "And Michael has the worst timing of anyone on the planet," he explained as he shifted his eyes skyward. Within seconds Caitlin could hear the incoming sounds of The FIRM helicopter. She had been honing her senses but she doubted she would ever have the super-sensitive hearing that Hawke possessed.

"Hmmm, guess I better make myself presentable for company then," she said as she stood, straightening her clothing and heading for the bathroom to brush out her hair.

"Yeah, well, just don't get too presentable, he won't be here long," Hawke threw back over his shoulder as he headed out on the porch to greet the spy.

Within minutes, Michael came walking up the path towards the house.

"So do you spy on us and purposefully wait for the most inopportune times to interrupt or is it just a knack you have?" Hawke asked as the spy nodded to him and let himself into the cabin.

Glancing at Hawke's slightly disheveled appearance as he passed by, Michael smiled inwardly knowing what he had most likely interrupted. "Well with you two is there ever a time I'm NOT interrupting? Dom says you two are joined at the hip but I'd have to disagree. It's more like you're joined at the…"

"Michael!" Caitlin said sternly as she descended the stairwell from the loft. "Don't you dare finish that sentence." Seeing Michael look somewhat like a schoolboy with his hand caught in the cookie jar, Caitlin couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped from her lips.

"Okay, Michael, as long as you're here, do you mind telling us what you want?" Hawke asked as he went to stand by the hearth.

"I've got an assignment for you and Dom," Michael explained succinctly as he sank into one of the fireside chairs across from Hawke.

Glancing over the spy's head to Cait who had settled herself on one of the barstools, Hawke waited for a slight nod of approval from the red-head before saying anything else. Michael had been very patient in waiting for Caitlin to recover from her physical wounds from the first crash and then her therapy dealing with the effects of her PTSD. He had purposefully told The Committee at The FIRM that any Airwolf-related missions would have to wait until the Airwolf crew felt they were ready to give their full attention to any assignments. Everyone knew Hawke would be too distracted anyways until he felt Caitlin was well on the road to recovery.

Over the last couple of weeks, ever since Caitlin's first attempt at piloting Airwolf again, she and Hawke had been talking about when this day would come. It had taken some doing, but Caitilin had finally convinced Hawke that while she, herself, wasn't ready for a mission, that she would be fine with he and Dom heading out when needed.

Looking back to the spy, Hawke nodded his approval. "So when and where do you need Airwolf?" he asked.

Reaching up and brushing his mustache, Michael trained his one good eye on Hawke. "Actually, it's not an Airwolf mission. I need you guys to charter a flight down to Guadalajara, Mexico and back in one of Dom's regular helicopters."

Raising an eyebrow at the spy, Hawke instantly became suspicious. "And why is it that I believe there's more to it than that?"

"it's an easy one Hawke, why are you always looking for the downside of things?" Michael asked as he fidgeted with his cane.

"Because you're a spy Michael, and spies never do things the easy way. Now spit it out, what's going on?"

Getting up, Michael walked over and seated himself on one of the barstools next to Cait. "So is he this charming with you or am I just getting special treatment?"

"You're still here so you must be getting special treatment," Caitlin said with a wink.

"Although you won't be for long, Michael," Hawke said with a huff. "Now you've got 30 seconds to tell me about this mission or you can show yourself to the door."

"Okay, okay," Michael acquiesced. "Look, it really is pretty simple. We've got an informant down in Guadalajara that we've got to get back to the states for testimony. His testimony is set to bring down have the organized crime this side of the Rockies. Anyways, we've got him in a safe house down there but we've received information that some of his mob buddies may have been tipped off on when he's being brought in so we've had to scrap our original plans on getting him back."

"Okay, so why not use Airwolf? Seems like it would be the safest way," Caitlin asked.

"We want to be as inconspicuous as possible. They'll be looking for something well-guarded or with heavily armed protection. We want to actually do the opposite and take him out right under their noses," Michael started to explain.

"And just how do you propose to do that?" Hawke asked.

"You and Dom do charters to Guadalajara all the time, business men and such, right? Well we want to send you down with two business men and have you bring the same two back the next day. We'll just switch one of the men for our informant. We've already got the switch in passports set up and anyone looking at the flight logs will think it's one of your regular charters. Easy in, easy out and nobody will be the wiser."

"I don't do babysitting jobs Michael," Hawke said.

"Hawke, this guy's testimony can take down some of our country's biggest criminals in one fell swoop. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important…you know that."

"Sounds easy enough, Hawke," Caitlin confirmed as she looked him in the eyes. "And if it's me your worried about, I'll be fine. It's only one day. I can even stay at my apartment if it makes you feel better so I don't have to fly back and forth to the cabin."

"You're flying? On your own?" Michael asked as he shot Caitlin a surprised look.

"No she's not," Hawke said at the same time that Caitlin nodded a silent yes to Michael.

"C'mon, Hawke, you know I can. I've flown up here twice now on my own from the hangar and everything went okay."

"Caitlin! That's great!" Michael said as he smiled at the red-head who was practically beaming herself.

"Well, I've only just gotten to that point, Michael but it's going well. Thanks!"

"And you won't be flying without me nearby," Hawke stated emphatically.

"See Michael," Cait said with a mischievous grin as she got up and went to stand next to Hawke, looping her arm around his waist. "He can be charming. Isn't he cute when he gets all worried about me?" Cait reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek as she laughed.

"Yeah, a real sweet guy," Michael said as he rolled his eyes. "So, Hawke, will you do it? I need you day after tomorrow if you will."

"Yeah, I'll get a hold of Dom and we'll come by the office in the morning to get the details."

"Good. Now if you two will excuse me I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing before I got here. Have a nice night," he said with a wink towards Cait as he left, leaving her blushing.

As they heard the chopper taking off from the dock, Hawke led Caitlin back over to the couch. "Now let me show you just how charming I can be," he said with a twinkle in his eyes as he pulled her down on top of him.

_TBC…__  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 8**_

Three days later, Dom and Hawke were in Guadalajara preparing for their flight back to LA with Michael's informant. "See, kid, piece of cake as Caitlin would say," Dom said with a smile as he finished up his pre-flight checks. "An easy ride down, a fun, all-expense paid evening out on the town and now an easy flight back. Mr. Clean should give us these kinds of assignments more often!" Dom said with a wide, gap-toothed grin.

"Yeah, so far so good Dom, but why do I get the funny feeling that it's all gone too smoothly?" Hawke said with suspicion, his sixth sense starting to trigger.

"Awww, String, don't start seeing trouble where there ain't none," Dom admonished as he fit the headphones over his cap. Looking over his shoulder at their two passengers, one the informant, the other, one of the original "business men" who had made the trip down, Dom gave them the thumbs up. "Everybody ready back there?" he asked. Both nodded back an affirmative response.

"Okay, kid, let's get back across the border, huh?"

"With pleasure," Hawke said as he notified the tower that they were ready to depart.

For the next 20 minutes everything went smoothly as Hawke pointed the helicopter in a northwesterly direction back towards LA. Things changed drastically, however, when Hawke and Dom both suddenly felt the touch of cold steel against the back of their necks. Hawke would know that feeling anywhere…the barrel of a gun.

"What the…?" Dom said as he tried to turn around.

"Move again and I'll blow your head clean off. I only need one of you to fly this bird. Make one false move and I'll kill you in a heartbeat Mr. Santini," came the low hiss of a voice from the back seat. "Or vice-versa, it doesn't matter to me."

"What do you want?" Hawke asked matter of factly as he looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that the informant had Dom at gunpoint while the "business man", whom they'd been told was one of Michael's operatives, was the one doing the talking and holding a gun on Hawke.

"As I'm sure you can guess, Mr. Carelli here has decided he no longer wants to testify and I'm here to make sure I can get him back to his old buddies who are waiting with open arms to welcome him back to 'the Family.' And you're going to take us there."

"And just what makes you think I'm going to do a damn thing for either of you?" Hawke asked with a snarl.

"Because if you don't, you'll watch the old man here die right in front of your eyes for starters."

"You kill him and I'll be damned if I take you anywhere. I'll crash this bird and we'll all go down!" Hawke said with determination.

"Well, I don't think I'll have to worry about that Mr. Hawke. I know how you feel about the old man…you won't let him die if you don't have to," said the operative, also known by the name of Stan Johnston.

"String, don't listen to him son. You do what you have to do!" Dom said as he turned to look at his surrogate son.

Hawke took a deep breath, knowing that Johnston was right…he couldn't be responsible for Dom's death, not if there was a chance of getting out of this. "So, tell me…what now?" Hawke finally asked with a sigh.

"Turn off the transponder and put us on a heading for San Diego. When you get close, I'll give you exact coordinates of where you are to set down," Johnston ordered.

"So how much are they paying you, Johnston?" Hawke wondered out loud, knowing that it must have taken a bundle to turn one of Archangel's operatives.

"Enough to keep me fat and happy for a long, long, time," the traitor replied with a smug look as Hawke changed his course.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Caitlin paced and looked at her watch for at least the tenth time in as many minutes. It was 5:15 pm and Dom and Hawke had been scheduled to arrive back at Knightsbridge over two hours ago.

"Caitlin, sit down, you're going to wear a hole in my new carpet," Archangel said from where he sat behind his desk.

"Something's not right, Michael. It's not like them to be this late and not call in. Something's just not right," Caitlin said as she continued to pace and wring her hands.

"Caitlin, we know they left on time and everything was in order. Maybe their fuel-stop took them longer than expected," Michael said trying to convince himself just as much as Caitlin.

"No, it's something else, Michael. I can FEEL it," Caitlin said. Every fiber in her body was telling her that something had gone terribly wrong.

Before Archangel could reply the phone on his desk rang shrilly. Picking it up, he just listened as a furrow began to from across his forehead. After listening for several minutes, Michael nodded and gave verbal confirmation that he understood the message and hung up the phone.

Caitlin could tell by the look on her face that her fears were about to be confirmed. "Michael? What is it?"

Knowing that trying to beat around the bush with Caitlin would be a useless endeavor, Michael just laid out the facts he had learned. "Air traffic control lost the location of the Santini chopper several hours ago. At first they thought it was a mechanical glitch but now they believe that the transponder on the chopper was probably deliberately turned off. There's been no success at raising them by radio either," he informed her soberly.

"What else, Michael? You're not telling me everything," Caitlin surmised from the look on the spy's face.

"Our second operative, Bill Williams, the one that was switching places with the informant, was found dead in Guadalajara just about an hour ago. He was tortured in a way consistent with the mob's methods."

Stopping her pacing, Caitlin suddenly dropped down into one of the chairs across from Michael's desk as she pondered the implications.

Suddenly looking up at Michael, she had quickly made a decision. "We have to get The Lady and find them," she said strongly. "All of Dom's helicopters are equipped with beacons separate from the transponders that are linked to Airwolf's computers. If we can take Airwolf up, I can find out what happened to their helicopter," she explained as she was already rising back out of the chair.

"Well, that's all fine and good, Caitlin," Michael said as he rose and came across the room to meet her. "But who's going to fly her?" he asked, knowing that Caitlin was still not in any condition emotionally to fly Airwolf on her own.

"I am," Caitlin answered back looking Michael directly in the eye.

"Caitlin, I know you want to get out there and find Dom and String and, believe me, so do I but from what I've heard you're in no condition to pilot Airwolf alone and there's no one else who can."

"I won't be alone," Caitlin said as she turned for the door. "You're going to come with me. I need someone to work engineering anyways."

"Caitlin, Stop!" Michael ordered as the red-head reached the door of his office. "I know you want to do this but I don't think you've thought this through. No offense, but what happens if we get up there and you have a panic attack or a flashback?"

Turning to face the spy, Caitlin put on her most determined face. "Look, Michael, I'm going with or without you. I could really use your help but I can do it alone if I have you're your choice! You have ten seconds to decide!"

"Damn, woman, you've been hanging around Stringfellow Hawke too long!" Michael said with resignation as he picked up his jacket and followed her out the door.

_TBC….._


	9. Chapter 9

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 9**_

Both Caitlin and Michael had donned their flight suits and were climbing aboard Airwolf when the first tremor of doubt hit Caitlin_. "__No, not now!" _she told herself as she put on her helmet and began the start up process on the engines_. __"String and Dom need you…that's all that matters here."_

Watching her from the engineering console in the back, Michael sensed just the slightest bit of hesitation in Caitlin's movements and once again thought about ordering her down. However he also knew that the only hope of finding the Santini chopper at this moment was sitting in the seat in front of him. "Caitlin? Everything good?" he asked tenuously.

"Yeah, Michael, everything's fine. You ready?" Caitlin asked fighting off the nervousness that seemed to be building inside of her. She knew what she had to do and she was going to be damned if she let anyone or anything hold her back. Throttling up, she began the tricky ascent up the funnel.

Breaking into the clear night sky, Caitlin set out in a generally southern direction. "Okay, Michael, start the scan for the beacon frequencies I gave you earlier," she directed as she settled into a smooth flight pattern over the Valley of the Gods. Having flown in this area with Hawke since the accident, she was beginning to feel a little more confident.

After several minutes, Caitlin could hear a heavy sigh coming from the ops position behind her. "What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing and I mean that literally," Michael responded. "Absolutely nothing, no beacon, no signal. Not to mention that there's a hell of a lot of territory to cover between here and there. The search alone could take days!"

"Let's start scanning by grid, narrow down the area a little bit," Caitlin suggested. "Check anything close to the border first. My guess is they'll want to come back to American soil where they rule the roost but they'll want to get out of the air as soon as possible."

"Yes, that makes sense," Michael agreed, impressed with Caitlin's reasoning. Quickly, he started tapping instructions into the computer.

"Hey, I think I've got something!" Michael exclaimed minutes later. "Looks like a hit on the beacon about 15 miles southeast of San Diego, just inside the border like you said."

"Okay, send me the coordinates and ready turbos," Caitlin instructed as she took a deep breath to calm the wave of nerves that started to flow back through her mind.

"Turbos? Cait, are you sure?" Michael asked as he punched the coordinates into the navigation system.

"Honestly? No, Michael but we can't waste any time here. If they're handing your informant back over to the mob, they'll kill Dom and Hawke just as soon as they do."

"We're not going to do them any good Caitlin if we die trying to get to them," Michael said with concern.

Caitlin took few seconds to think about what the spy had just said. She knew he was right and she couldn't deny the feelings of nausea and fear that seemed to be creeping up her spine. She knew that tingle...over the last few weeks she had come to know it as a pre-cursor to her flashbacks of the crash.

On the other hand, she could never live with herself if she didn't at least try to get to Dom and String and something happened to them. She knew she had no choice.

Turning to look at Michael, Caitlin prayed that he would put his trust in her. "Michael, I need you to do something for me and, more importantly, I don't need you to ask any questions."

"Sure, Cait. Whatever you need," he answered, noticing a slight change in her voice.

"This is going to sound a little off the wall but please just do as I ask. In the back I've loaded a disk that's embedded with some music. As soon as you hit the turbos, I need you to play that for me, okay?"

"Cait?" Michael asked with confusion.

"No questions, remember?" Caitlin reminded him as she turned back around. "Now on my mark, give me turbos and then start the disk."

"On your mark," Michael said in way of agreement. Within seconds Caitlin gave her signal and the two were being thrown back in their seats by the force of the turbos kicking in. As soon as the speed had leveled off, Michael pushed the button and a song filled the air:

Oh my home is in the mountains  
I am free, I am free  
I am one with wind and eagles  
I am free  
Given wings to sail in gracefulness  
The sky, The sky  
Given voice to sing in breathlessness  
I find that I can fly! (fly away)

(U p tempo) I been a long time on the highway  
I been a long time one the run  
And it gets to be like chaos  
when I'm so long away from home  
And sometimes it's just too much to bare  
and I hide behind my eyes  
I can picture friendly faces and I can dream of friendly skies  
and I guess that I'm the lucky one  
For the truth of what I know  
For my heart has not denied me, and I have somewhere to go  
I shall never be a prisinor twix steel and glass and stone  
And if I leave I will return to my Rocky Mountain home.

Oh my home is in the mountains  
I am free I am free  
I am one with wind and eagle  
I am free  
Given wing to sail in gracefulness  
The sky the sky  
Given voice to sing in breathlessness  
I find that I can fly, fly away

In the Hands of my Father  
Inthe Light of the Sunshine  
On the Wings of an Eagle  
I'm flying again (I'm flying again)  
I'm flying again (I'm flying again)  
I'm flying again (I'm flying again)  
I'm flying again (and I'm flying again)

As Cait listened to the music, she could picture Hawke's eagle flying over the lake in her mind and her body seemed to respond. Slowly she became one with the vision and all fear started to melt away. In those words she could feel Hawke's presence and she knew he would guide her to him, safe and sound.

"Thank you, Michael," Caitlin said quietly as they neared their destination and she ordered the turbos to be disengaged.

"You're welcome, Cait," as he shut removed the disk and studied her curiously. "I'm not sure what just happened up there but I don't think I've ever seen anyone other than Stringfellow Hawke have such a symbiotic relationship with Airwolf as you just did. It was beautiful to watch, Caitlin," Michael said in awe.

"On the Wings of an Eagle," Caitlin replied rather cryptically.

"I don't understand," Michael said.

"The song. It's by John Denver. ," Caitlin explained. "Hawke introduced it to me a while back. I really don't have time to explain it right now, Michael but I promise, someday I will." Checking her instruments, Caitlin brought herself back to the reality of the situation. "We're coming to the location, I need you to scan and tell me what you have," she instructed.

Wanting to know more but agreeing that it was time to get back to the matter at hand, Michael started a scan of the area as requested. "It looks like they've set down in a clearing about two miles ahead," he advised Caitlin.

"People? Structures? Weapons?" Cait rattled off wanting to get as much information as she could.

"Just one small structure…looks like an abandoned house or something. According to infrared it looks like about four people, two armed with small weapons, all alive.

"Thank, God," Caitlin muttered realizing that Dom and Hawke must still be alive. "It sounds as if their rendezvous hasn't shown up yet," Caitlin surmised.

"Oh yes, they have," Michael corrected her.

"Where, Michael?"

"Looks like we got a heavily armed Huey headed our way at about nine o'clock. He's loaded for bear, Caitlin."

"How long?" she asked needing to know how far out the armed chopper was.

"About ten minutes at current speed, " Michael said as he tapped away at the computer keyboard.

"Well what do you say we cut that to five and give them a welcome?" Caitlin said with a slight smile.

"What about Hawke and Dom?" Michael asked.

"My guess is that Hawke already knows we're here. I'm sure he heard us approach. We'll take care of the chopper, I bet he and Dom will take care of the guys on the ground. We'll give them a little help by causing a little distraction as we fly over and then we'll head out to meet the chopper. Load missiles and ready chain guns!," Caitlin quickly ordered as she pushed forward on the cyclic.

_TBC…._


	10. Chapter 10

**Finding Normal**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_. _. _

_**Chapter 10**_

At the direction of Johnston, Hawke had landed the chopper near an abandoned house just inside the American border about 15 minutes earlier. As soon as they landed, he and Dom were forced out of the chopper and sent to sit on the dilapidated front porch of the building where their hands were bound behind their backs.

"Now what?" Hawke asked sardonically as he watched their two captors nervously pace the grounds in front of them.

"Now you make peace with your maker because as soon as the Man gets here, you're both dead," Carelli said as he pointed his gun at Hawke and tried to sound tough although Hawke was quick to notice the sweat on the would-be informant's brow.

Seizing upon the man's fears, Hawke decided to goad him a little. "You know, I'm curious Carelli, just what makes you think that 'the Man' as you call him isn't coming to take you out as well? I mean, you were the one that was going to roll-over on him."

Dom cut his eyes over at Hawke, trying to convey his thoughts that Hawke better not push the nervous criminal too far. Hawke caught the look but ignored it, continuing on. "I mean, who knows, maybe this was all an elaborate plan on Johnston's part to turn you over. Maybe Johnston's actually the one carrying out a contract on you so he can get in good with the so-called "Man."

Hawke saw that his words had the desired effect. Carelli immediately looked over to Johnston with deep suspicion as Johnston, being caught off guard, tried to convince the other man that such an idea was ridiculous. "Really, Carelli? You're going to listen to this guy? He's just trying to save his own ass," Johnston said as Carelli closed in on him.

"Maybe," Carelli countered back. "But he does make some sense, how do I know that you're not just using me? Trying to get into "the Family" and take my place?"

Hawke winked at Dom as their two captors continued to argue. "You think that was a good idea, String?" Dom asked in a whisper, worried that the anger may soon spill over onto them.

"Just the distraction needed so Cait can get The Lady in position to pick us up," Hawke said as Dom stared back at him in surprise.

"The Lady?"

"Yeah, I heard her fly in a few minutes ago. Cait must have activated the homing beacon on the chopper," Hawke advised the older man. "Now, how you feeling? You up for a little action?"

"Sure kid but it's going to be kind of tough with our hands tied," Dom observed.

"Actually, mine are pretty loose. I think if you turn your back this way you can reach back and get them the rest of the way untied. Just try to keep it inconspicuous, okay?"

Sliding over and turning so that he could reach the ties, Dom made pretty quick work of String's constraints who then returned the favor. Keeping their hands behind their back so as not to alert Johnston and Carelli to the fact that they were now free, Hawke decided it was time to give them a reason to come over.

"Hey Carelli!" he yelled.

"Shut the hell up!" Carelli yelled back turning his attention back to the Johnston.

"Okay, I just thought you might want a safe way out of here. There's still a perfectly good chopper and couple of pilots here but if you'd rather trust your partner there, fine," Hawke said non-chalantly.

That seemed to get both men's attention. Both headed over, guns pointed directly at Hawke and Dom. Just as Hawke was thinking that maybe he'd pushed them a little too far, the unmistakable sound of Airwolf's screech came screaming through the air as the intimidating helicopter flew overhead causing both Johnston and Carelli to look up.

"NOW!" Hawke yelled to Dom as both men quickly rose and jumped off the steps, each tackling one of the criminals to the ground.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Looks like you were right, Cait," Michael said from the ops position as he took note of the action on the infrared camera. "Dom and Hawke have them down."

"Good. I sure hope they can keep it that way but right now we've got a chopper to take care of. Give me their position, Michael," Cait instructed.

"They're at twelve o'clock Cait and closing fast. Dammit, they got a missile off!" Michael informed her.

"Release a sunburst!" Cait instructed as she started defensive maneuvers to avoid the oncoming missile.

"Got it!" Michael advised as he watch the copperhead take the bait and explode in the night sky.

Finally coming within visual range of the opposing helicopter, Caitlin opened her communications channel. "Hughes helicopter...set her down, now!"

"Not a chance," was the only response she received.

"Damn!" she said as the Hughes suddenly appeared behind Airwolf, ready to fire.

"Turbos Michael!" she quickly ordered. "If he wants me, he'll have to catch me first!"

Just before the Hughes fired, Airwolf took off like a shot ahead of them. It only took a second for the Hughes to take up the chase however.

"Okay, Michael, on my mark you're going to give us a full power down on the turbos…got it?"

"Cait you can't be serious?" he said.

"I am. We have to get behind them. Full stop will cause him to fly right over and we can take care of him before he even knows what happens," she explained. "Trust me, she'll hold, I've seen Hawke do it."

"All right, I guess I don't have a choice," Michael acknowledged as he shook his head.

"NOW!" Caitlin yelled and Airwolf jerked to an almost complete stop as Michael reversed the turbos. Sure enough, the Hughes went flying past them allowing Caitilin to get back in behind.

"This is your last warning," she announced through her comm channel. "Either set it down or I'll do it for you!"

Receiving no response, Cait hovered her finger over the trigger for only half a second before pulling back and releasing a Hellfire. Both she and Michael winced slightly as the chopper blew into a thousand pieces in front of them.

"C'mon, let's get back and make sure Hawke and Dom are okay," Caitlin said as she swung Airwolf back around.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom was just finishing tying up Johnston and Carelli as Caitlin landed Airwolf gently down next to the Santini chopper.

Hawke was tugging open the door to the massive black machine before Caitlin even had a chance to finish removing her helmet.

"Caitlin? You okay?" Hawke asked with concern as he climbed up next to her.

"Never been better!" she said with a huge smile as she finished removing her helmet and leaned over to give him a kiss. "And I think it's me that should be asking you that question. You and Dom okay?" she asked giving Hawke a quick once over to make sure he hadn't suffered too much damage in his struggle with Johnston.

"Yeah, we're fine," he said as he took her hand and helped her out of the helicopter while Michael climbed out the other side and came around the nose of the bird to meet them.

Seeing the spy, Hawke suddenly went into protective mode. "Dammit, Michael! What in the hell were you thinking letting Caitlin fly Airwolf?"

"Like I could have stopped her," Michael told him. "I figured it was better to come along and help then have her do it on her own which she would have done. Anyways, this lady's one hell of a pilot!" Michael said with pride. "And I would think you would be happy that she was here to save your butts!"

"Well, I sure am!" Dom said as joined the group and gave Caitlin a big bear hug.

"Well thank you Dom and Michael," Caitlin said, making sure to completely ignore Hawke. "At least _some_ people around here appreciate me!"

"Cait, I appreciate what you did but you were in no shape to fly Airwolf alone when I left," Hawke said as he looked at her with concern. "If something had happened…."

Cait wanted to be mad at him, but when she saw the scared look in his eyes, she just couldn't bring herself to yell at Hawke. "You're right, Hawke, I probably wasn't but when I heard my guys were in trouble then I knew what I had to do. You would have done the same for me. Anyways, I wasn't alone, I had Michael and I had a little more help, too."

"Yeah, what was that?" he asked as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"I was flying on 'The Wings of an Eagle' ", she said with a smile as she reached up and caressed his cheek. "And the eagle, just like you, never lets me down."

Hawke smiled at her reference. As worried as he had been, he knew that Caitlin had just made a huge step on the way to her recovery. Leaning down he placed his lips on hers and kissed her passionately.

"MMMM HMMM" Dom cleared his throat after the two young pilots had been caught up in their embrace for almost a full minute. "If you two think you can pull apart from each other long enough, I'd sure like to get home. I've had enough fun for one day."

Blushing as she pulled away from Hawke, Cait giggled as she looked to Dom and Michael who both had huge grins on their faces. "Yeah, I think we can do that," she said.

"Actually, I'll stay here and wait for our guys to pick up those two over there," Michael said as he indicated Johnston and Carelli. "Dom, Laura's coming down and she can fly your chopper back to the hangar if you want to go back with Cait and Hawke."

"Sounds like a plan! Thanks, Michael!" Dom said as he was already headed towards Airwolf.

Turning towards the spy, Caitlin took both of his hands in her own. "Thanks again, Michael, I don't think I could have done it without you."

"The pleasure was all mine, Caitlin," he responded with a smile as he gave her a peck on her cheek. "Like I said, Hawke, she's one hell of a pilot. I'd keep an eye on her…the committee might just try to steal her from Santini Air," the spy added with a wink.

"Uh-uh, Michael, not a chance in hell," Hawke said as he put a possessive arm around her shoulders. "She's staying right where she belongs, with me."

"Yeah, somebody's gotta keep an eye on him, Michael," Caitlin said with a grin as they waved goodbye to the spy.

As they headed over to Airwolf, Hawke started to guide Caitlin towards the pilot's door.

"That's okay, Hawke you fly her back," Cait said as she went around and climbed into the counter-measure seat. Dom had already positioned himself at his usual spot at the engineering console.

"Ahhh, this is nice," Dom said as he looked around the cockpit. "Finally everything and everyone is back where they belong."

"Yeah, I think we've finally found our way back to normal," Caitlin agreed. "At least until the next time."

**_THE END. _**

_A/N: So another story ended. I have not decided whether or not to continue on this arc of stories or not with a fourth installment. It seems pretty well wrapped up here but who knows…it might happen. I have an idea for a one shot next, so regardless that will come first. _

_To Mychand: it occurs to me that my last several stories have all been 10 chapters long. This was not in any way intentional and I hope you don't think I'm copying your style. It just seemed to work out that way..lol. I'll at least try for an odd number on the next one! _


End file.
